WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – A pair of first-half goals and the third straight defensive shutout powered the Monmouth University women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Columbia on Sunday afternoon at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn.
Brooke De Almeida scored less than a minute into the match before Ashley Lavrich added her team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 15th minute. The Hawks improved to 5-1-2 and will enter conference play riding three consecutive shutouts, their first stretch of three straight clean sheets since the 2024 season.
In net, Tallulah Miller made a season-best seven saves and recorded her fifth scoreless outing of the season. The graduate student has 10 shutouts in her two seasons at Monmouth.
"We love that result against a tough team," said Head Coach Kylee Flynn We told our girls to not stop because we knew they would keep putting pressure on us and I'm very proud of the group for the effort."
Just 45 seconds after the opening whistle, Evangeline Perdomo connected with De Almeida, who found the upper left side of the goal put the Hawks ahead, 1-0. The goal was De Almeida's first of the season and gave Monmouth an advantage before Columbia had recorded its first shot.
The Lions responded with a pair of attempts over the next 12 minutes, but Monmouth doubled its advantage with another efficient attacking sequence.
Saar van der Boom set up Lavrich off a cross, and the senior found the back of the net with a right-footed blast to push the lead to 2-0. The goal was Lavrich's fifth of the season, extending her team lead, while van der Boom picked up the assist, the second of her rookie campaign.
Columbia began to generate more pressure after falling behind by two, forcing Tallulah Miller into her first save in the 29th minute. while the Hawks' defense blocked a Nicole Kim attempt moments later. The Lions put another shot on target in the 43rd minute, but Miller was there for the save to send Monmouth into halftime with its two-goal advantage intact.
The Lions continued to push forward after the break and ultimately finished with 12 second-half shots, but Monmouth's defense refused to break.
Miller made a pair of stops in the first 15 minutes of the half to maintain the lead. Columbia generated three shots and two corner kicks during a dangerous stretch around the 72nd minute, but the Hawks continued to keep the Lions off the scoreboard.
The visitors finished strong, putting three shots on target over the final 19 minutes, but Miller saved each of them, including attempts in the 72nd, 75th and 81st minutes.
Columbia finished with a 19-8 advantage in total shots and put seven attempts on goal, but Miller stopped all seven to preserve the clean sheet. Lavrich led Monmouth with two shots, both on target, while De Almeida converted her lone attempt. Perdomo and van der Boom recorded the assists on Monmouth's two goals.
The shutout was Monmouth's third in a row following clean sheets against St. John's and NJIT. During the three-game stretch, the Hawks have outscored their opponents 6-0 and have not conceded a goal over 270 consecutive minutes.
Monmouth will now carry its three-match winning streak and three-match shutout streak into conference play, marking the first time since 2024 that the Hawks have recorded three consecutive clean sheets.
The Hawks will kick off conference play a week from today when they head to Long Island to face Stony Brook in a rematch of last year's CAA semifinals. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on FloSports.
